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Friday, 19 January 2018

An argument over a skillet of scrambled eggs led to city's first 2018 homicide, police say

An argument between a woman and her neighbor's boyfriend about a skillet of scrambled eggs led to the first homicide of 2018, Louisville Metro Police say.

Michael Renee Hamblen, Jr. was arrested Wednesday, 11 days after Jasmine Newsome, 26, died from multiple gunshot wounds. Hamblen, 21, is charged with murder, tampering with physical evidence and possession of a handgun by a convicted felon. Police say shortly before Hamblen killed Newsome at her home, the two fought at her neighbor's house.

She had cooked scrambled eggs while there and the suspect, who police say was Newsome's neighbor's boyfriend, argued about the breakfast food. No other details about the argument were provided.

Later, Newsome and her roommate were at Newsome's home when Hamblen came over with a skillet of scrambled eggs. He dumped them on the floor and demanded Newsome clean up, according to an arrest warrant from Louisville Metro Police.

Hamblen then came over a second time and walked in without permission, before firing a weapon at Newsome. Police say 10 shots were directed at her "pelvis and vagina area." The weapon has not been recovered.

The shooting took place on the 2300 block of West Ormsby Avenue, near the Park Hill and California neighborhoods, police said.

Hamblen was previously convicted of domestic violence in 2017. In 2014, he was also charged with domestic violence but pleaded guilty to a lower charge of harassment with no injury. He also plead guilty to charges that include fleeing police and carrying a concealed deadly weapon.

Hamblen entered a not guilty plea to his charges in connection with Newsome's death at his arraignment Thursday morning. He's being held on $500,000 bail.

Louisville Metro Police have investigated six homicides so far in 2018. Just one, from Jan. 11, is still open. There were 107 homicides in 2017, the second year in a row LMPD saw killings hit triple digits.